Is Halloween Candy Safe for Pets?

Halloween in Toms River, NJ is just around the corner. That means costumes, trick-or-treating and of course, candy! Lots and lots of candy. For children, so much candy can be a dream come true but for pet owners and dogs, it can be a nightmare.

For some dogs, Halloween can be a scary time. All of the sudden the doorbell is ringing nonstop and your doorstep is filled with tons of children dresses as ghosts, monsters and characters. It has to be very confusing for a dog. But when it comes to Halloween candy, it can be dangerous.

Is Halloween Candy Dangerous for Pets?

You need to be sure your dog doesn’t eat any Halloween candy this year. All Halloween candy has the potential to be dangerous for pets.

Sugar is not always dangerous for dogs, but it can cause diarrhea, gas and stomach pains if nothing else.

Chocolate, especially baking chocolate and dark chocolate, is very dangerous for dogs and is one of the most popular forms of Halloween candy. If a dog eats chocolate, he or she might suffer from chocolate poisoning. It might even be lethal.

If your dog eats chocolate and starts to vomit, breathe rapidly or have an increased heart rate or seizures, then you should immediately take him or her to an emergency clinic or call the Pet Poison Hotline at (855) 213-6680.

Sugar-free gum can also be dangerous for dogs because it contains Xylitol. Xylitol can cause a dog to become lethargic, suffer from seizures or even cause permanent or fatal liver damage.

Hard candy is not safe for pets and dogs either because it is hard for them to chew and it could cause them to choke.

And of course, you want to be careful to make sure your dog doesn’t digest candy wrappers. Dogs just want what’s inside the wrapper and probably won’t be able to properly remove the plastic or tinfoil around the candy.

Plastic and tinfoil wrappers can become a major digestive problem and even obstruct a dogs intestines.

As you can see, Halloween candy is not safe for pets at all. Be sure you and your children store candy somewhere where your dog or cat cannot reach it this year so that everyone, including your pets, has a safe and fun Halloween.

At Joannes Chem-Dry of NJ, we care about the well-being of all animals and pets and are proud to provide dog-friendly carpet cleaning in Ocean and Monmouth counties that is 100% safe for pets.